


Closer To The Truth

by C0PPA



Series: Saiyan Catra [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Catra is a saiyan, F/F, Fights, Freeform, Gen, How Do I Tag, I wish I could rearrange the order of tags so it looks neat(er), Idk what i'm doing, It's closer to B- in this fic, Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Look out for quotes, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, No Dragonballs, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)'s A+ Parenting, Some Dragonball elements, Super Saiyan, Surprisingly, This fic is just Catra with extra Vegeta, This fic was literally born from analyzing Catra and Vegeta parrallels, catradora endgame, feedback fuels my non-existent soul, like fusions, lots of fighting, maybe some yelling, random shit will be on all my fics just warning you, replying to comments feels awkward
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28876107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C0PPA/pseuds/C0PPA
Summary: On the same day that Adora was brought to Etheria, Shadow Weaver found a pod containing a small child with a tail, and raised them both alongside each other. But what will happen when a member of a long-forgotten warrior race clashes against the mighty Princess of Power?
Relationships: Adora & Angella (She-Ra), Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Entrapta & Scorpia (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Scorpia (She-Ra), Catra & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)
Series: Saiyan Catra [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2117655
Comments: 30
Kudos: 63





	1. Destiny is hard to meet

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all. This is my first fic ever but what better way to start than combining She-Ra with something else I really enjoy, that being Dragonball. If you have any feedback at all do not hesitate, I want to improve in any way I can so that my future works are even better.  
> anyways, hope you all enjoy!

Shadow Weaver could not fathom what could be of such importance that Lord Hordak would rush off, in the late evening without minimal preparation or planning, for. She had never seen him such a state, barking directly at every second soldier as he ran for the hangar. Hordak never ran. He usually strode menacingly down the metallic corridors in the few instances he deemed necessary to vacate his private chambers or the throne room. But today his gait had been erratic and frantic, something the likes of which people had come to expect Hordak to be the opposite of. Shadow Weaver could not dwell on this, however, as her scrying pool was intently focused on showing her a small round object falling from the sky. The flames erupting from friction with the atmosphere made it difficult to make out what exactly it was, except for the fact it was smooth revealed that it was man-made, and that Shadow Weavers’ innate magic felt a slight pull towards it, confirmed its importance. 

Word from high command was that Hordak was currently returning from his impromptu excursion, Shadow Weaver heard as she made her own way out of the Fright Zone. She could glean the details later, but the investigation of this strange object was her current priority. Her scrying had revealed it crashing in the Whispering Woods, not far from the edge where they border the Horde’s territories. She could not trust measly Horde soldiers with its retrieval, and thus had to go herself. Shadow Weaver knew the true nature of the Woods, compared to the propaganda fed to Horde soldiers. It was not controlled by the princesses, but rather had a mind of its own, guiding or waylaying travellers as it deemed fit. 

As she neared the first line of trees, she could make out faint whisps of smoke ascending above the treetops. Her shadow spies guided her to where the object had gouged out a destructive path through the trees, branches snapped off trees and strewn everywhere, some smouldering. A small ditch had been carved out of the ground as the object impacted the surface of Etheria, coming to rest after several tens of metres. As Shadow Weaver approached, she perceived it was a kind of pod, with a red porthole embedded in what she assumed should be the access hatch. The smooth white metal had been blackened, and barely came up to Shadow Weavers chest. The energy she felt from within was a lot stronger now, it was raw and ferocious. Intrigued, she reached out to open it, but recoiled slightly as it hissed open at the slightest touch. As it dissipated, she saw that inside sat a lone, very young child, swaddled in a loose blanket, arms and legs sticking out, unawake or unawares to its surroundings. Shadow Weaver was confused: any child should be screaming fitfully given what it must have experienced descending from the sky. It was then either dead, or as special as it seemed to be. Shadow Weaver was then further confused, as although the child appeared to be a human, a small, furred tail peeked out from behind them. 

Shadow Weaver reached down to relieve the passenger from their transport, careful not to disturb the child’s sleep. Something nagged at the back of Shadow Weaver’s mind about the tail, some ancient text she had read in Mystacor about an ancient race of mighty warriors. Setting the child down on the grassy forest floor a short way away under supervision of her shadows, she set about examining the rest of its contents. There were navigation systems, automated feeders and a compartment within which was stored a set of lightweight body armour. It was smooth and rounded, dissimilar from the jagged armour that was standard issue in the Horde. She had another one of her shadows hold it while she examined the last screen array. On it was stored a single recording of what appeared to be the child’s parents, explaining that their race were under oppression from the Galactic Horde, and were close to being wiped out or forced into deep isolation. This confirmed Hordaks claim that he was not from Etheria, and part of a grander scheme. Where Hordak himself fit into that she did not know yet but knew enough that this ‘Galactic Horde’ would not readily support her desire for power when Hordak returned to them. The pair in the recording were not royalty but had spared their child the same fate as theirs, whatever it ended up being, hoping she (Shadow Weaver had gleaned this from the way they addressed the recipient of the recording) was in a better place than them, and had voiced their praise for her. They also named the child, and its race:

Catra, quite possibly the last of the Saiyans.

Something clicked in Shadow Weaver’s mind, recalling the ancient text speaking about great wells of power stored within Saiyans, and were able to utilise it through rigorous training. As the recording ended, Shadow weavers’ passive detection of Catra’s energy suddenly spiked and heard her start to wail. Satisfied that this was all there was to the pod, she closed it and made her way over to the now awake child. Taking Catra in her arms she ran a hand softly through her hair, rocked her, and hummed to soothe her. As the child calmed slightly, Shadow Weaver could see the talent bubbling under the external projection of the energy. It felt different to the magic that permeated the entirety of Etheria, but she could feel the power residing within the small figure, nonetheless. The child truly was a Saiyan. As Shadow Weaver began the trip back to the Fright Zone, one thought presided over all others:

‘How will I shape this child to serve my needs?’

\- Eighteen years later –

Adora spun her staff to parry Catra’s rapid blows; if one of them landed it was all over. Sure, Catra was holding back but even at an estimated half strength Catra could send people flying. Adora wasn’t scared of being hit, of course; she took it as a challenge to push her limits and come out on top. Plus, it was Catra, whom she never backed down from. After parrying a particularly wide swing she had an opening to strike Catra in the chest. As she jabbed forward, she activated the electrical field to shock Catra. It wouldn’t be enough to bring her to down, not by a long shot; she’d seen her go down only after being struck seven times, and that was while fighting multiple opponents. 

Adora had often wondered the source of Catra’s inane strength and stamina, and surmised it had something to do with why Catra would have a tail. It was furred, like a cat’s, but she distinctly lacked any other catlike features, although she had one blue and one yellow eye, (which in Adora’s opinion was very beautiful) a trait called heterochromia that cats sometimes did have, as found out by Adora after sneaking into the Horde archives one time, but other than that, zilch. Catra’s tail (as well as her rash and impulsive nature) was her weakness in battle, but not easily exploited, as she wrapped it tightly around her waist during combat. 

Adora expected Catra to double over at least a little bit, but she did not falter at all. Instead she grabbed the charged end with both her hands and swung Adora over her head slamming into the floor of the training room a couple of metres away. Adora grunted and tried to stand up using her staff, but a boot struck it out from under her and Adora returned to the floor, face-down this time. 

“Looks like you can’t best me Adora.” The same boot came to rest by her head.

“We’re only a short way into training, I’ve still got plenty left in me.” Adora replied as she got to her feet, and grinned at Catra, reaffirming her statement. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“You aren’t going to beat me today Adora, or any day for that matter.” Catra jeered. “Just admit I’m stronger than you.”

“I haven’t stopped trying for two years, what makes you think I’m going to back down now.” She wouldn’t, couldn’t give up. She wasn’t allowed to. She had to always keep going, no matter what, and that included besting Catra in combat.

“Suit yourself. Not gonna be my fault when you’re in the infirmary because you’re too stubborn.”

The pair readied themselves again in the centre of the room. Adora refocused herself, drowning out all perception of anything not in her immediate surrounds. If she ever wanted to beat Catra she had to fight with not just her raw strength, but with wit and tact alongside that. She had gotten close several times, but Catra somehow always pulled through at the last minute.

Adora readied herself such that she could use the length of the staff to keep Catra at a distance and swung anytime she got too close, but Catra never let any connect. After a time, the glint in Catra’s eyes gave away her next move as she leapt into a crouch with a sweeping leg aimed at Adora’s ankles. Adora leapt over it and spun her stuff into Catra’s chest, toppling her backwards. By the time Catra got to her feet, Adora was charging, staff already swinging towards her. Catra raised her forearms to prevent the blows from connecting with any weak points that would faze her if hit but gave ground, so it appeared to Adora that she was on the defensive. They went through the motions of Adora leaping in, swinging several times, and standing back again, and while anyone would have thought that Catra would eventually crumble under the onslaught, Adora knew better; by Hordak, Catra was barely breaking a sweat, Adora desperately wanted to know where her limitless stamina came from. Adora noticed the wide, toothy grin that appeared on Catra’s face a moment too late, as she was sent reeling from a knee that had planted itself in her stomach. She barely had time to react as a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the ground (being mindful of her head of course). Adora fully regained full control of her senses at the sound of a familiar endearing chuckle.

“You wanna rethink your previous statement?” Catra’s voice called down to her.

“Not a chance.”

\---

Shadow Weaver looked on as the pair recommenced their routine, their trading of blows almost blurring into a dance. She had been thrilled when on the same night she had been presented with not one, but two, extraordinarily gifted children she could use as means to her own ends. For sure, at the moment Catra was by far more powerful but Adora was going to be the key to everything, and Adora would very much be more useful in running the Horde than Catra if fate would demand that Hordak be removed from what little power he truly had. But the two were a unique team, she had learned that early on. By raising them together so closely, moulding them for the inevitable destiny that would see Shadow Weaver hold the immense power of Etheria in the palm of her hand, the children had believed that they would achieve their status as the rulers of Etheria together as its protectors, and see the Horde through to victory, but all in loyalty to Shadow Weaver, the figure who had rescued them from the rebellion and gave them a home. In their eyes, she was the mother-figure in their lives for all intents and purposes, she had made sure of that. She truly did not care how they ended up, as long as Adora gave her what she wanted and Catra prevented Adora from being lost to her before that happened. Underneath her featureless mask she grinned. As soon as the pieces aligned themselves in the right way, the power of Etheria would soon be hers for the taking.


	2. It'll hunt you down somewhere along the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora is missing, and once again Catra has to get her out of trouble. She is sent to Thaymore to retrieve her, but getting her back is going to be harder than it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!  
> Hope you enjoyed the 'pilot' chapter!  
> I was thoroughly surprised (although pleasantly) at the reception towards the first chapter, and got me motivated enough to get the second chapter done as fast as I did.  
> As always, any sort of feedback or criticism is appreciated!
> 
> Also, title and chapter titles inspired by a song of the same name, by Cryoshell:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5T1qL0qAI

Catra didn’t want to let Adora just wander back out into the Whispering woods on her lonesome, even though she knew Adora could most likely handle herself. It was the way Adora had not quite been herself after going out the first time. Catra did not have a good feeling about whatever it was Adora was getting herself into. And of course, her suspicions were confirmed when first thing in the morning Shadow Weaver had burst into the barracks demanding to know where Adora was. Catra had to yet again deal with Adora’s mess. 

“For the last time, I don’t know where she is.” Catra was currently being questioned within the Black Garnet chamber. The power exuding from the giant crimson crystal was somewhat unsettling to Catra, but she had learned to ignore it.

“Don’t be insolent with me, Catra.” Shadow Weaver said calmly as she floated over to her. “But please do tell me where our dear Adora is.” Catra knew that Shadow Weaver had their best interests at heart and was almost as worried about Adora as she was, but Adora had desperately asked her to cover for her.

“If I knew where she was, which I don’t, you’d be the first to know.” As soon as Catra was out of here, she’d be off searching for the missing Force Captain herself. “She’s probably off overtraining herself again.” Getting Shadow Weaver off her case so she could do so, however, was proving to be a difficult task.

“I was hoping you could be of more use in this situation, but alas, I have to do the work myself.” Shadow Weaver turned to her scrying pool and began waving her arms in rhythmic gestures.

“Wait, if you didn’t need me to tell you where she was, why bother with asking me in the first place?”

“Adora would not have left without telling you, so I was testing where your loyalties lie. While I admire your unwavering fealty to her, I wish that you could have more trust in me. We both know how prone Adora is to getting… caught up in things.” 

Catra always liked making Shadow Weaver proud, proving her worth to her paternal figure, but what would that be worth if it meant betraying Adora?

“Regardless, I’m going to send you to retrieve her, placing a strike force under your command. I hope you do not disappoint me.”

“Of course, Shadow Weaver, I’ll bring her back, I can assure you.” She affirmed, with a short sharp salute as she turned to leave.

“Oh, and Catra?”

“Yes ma’am?”

“Don’t hesitate to use any means necessary.” Catra did not like the implications of that statement, and it brewed at the edges of her mind all the way to Thaymore.

~

Adora could not comprehend, let alone understand why the Horde were attacking Thaymore. She wouldn’t even begin to let herself accept what that revealed about the Horde’s true nature. The Horde did not attack civilian settlements on a whim. Yet the entire day after locating the sword for a second time had been filled with so many arguments for the Horde being wrong. But now was the time for her to prove something wrong to her newfound companions: that a Horde soldier could act for the betterment of others.

But Adora had no time to prepare herself for the figure emerging from the captain’s tank.

“Adora!” exclaimed Catra, leaping fully out of the hatch and onto the ground in front of the tank. “Oh, thank goodness I found you! Commander Weaver was severely annoyed this morning when she found you were gone and guess who it fell to to get you back?” She had her arms crossed, but her smirk gave away that she took pride in getting Adora out of trouble. Adora then noticed she was clad in her one-of-a-kind battle armour, gifted by Shadow Weaver a couple of years ago. Aesthetically it was similar to the standard-issue armour worn by Horde Soldiers, being primarily grey with neon green lighting, but Catra’s armour featured a lot of dark red accents, was much smoother, had less hard plating, the bulk of it being on the chest, shoulders, and the sides of her thighs, and had a type of hard but flexible and durable fabric around the joints and waist.

Adora ignored her banter and got straight to the point. “Why- what’s going on?”

“I’m here to bring you back home Adora, what else does it look like we’re doing?” It was Catra’s turn to be a little confused.

“Hurting people, obviously!” Adora exclaimed. How could Catra not see the ruined homes or hear the screams of civilians fleeing the terror of the Horde?

“What are you talking about Adora?” Catra was beginning to get annoyed. What was Adora playing at?

“Catra, look around you, Thaymore is a civilian town,” In her desperation she grabbed Catra’s arm, to make sure she understood. “There are innocents’ lives at stake! The people the Horde claim to be protecting from the rebellion! Do you not see that?”

“What does it matter to you Adora? Your place is in the Horde, like mine is, you don’t need to worry about the-“

“If this is what the Horde has been doing all this time, then my place is not with the Horde.”

Catra’s face visibly fell, then shifted to anger. “You would forsake everything the Horde has done for us, everything Shadow Weaver has done for you, all because you sympathize for the lives of people you’ve never known? The Horde may use excessive violence but what does it matter at the end of the day? All that matters is that we’re togethe-“

“I don’t want to be part of a regime that hurts people, Catra.” Adora stared at her defiantly. “I am not going back.” Her expression shifted to one of pleading. “You don’t have to be a part of it either. Come with me.” She pulled slightly on Catra’s hand.

“I was afraid that it would come to this.” Catra looked down and away as her grip tightened around Adora’s hand. Her other hand formed into a fist and wound back. “You’ll forgive me when you realize that this is all for your benefit.”

Adora’s eyes widened and she choked and spluttered as Catra buried her fist in Adora’s stomach. Catra’s expression was pained, as Adora sunk to her knees. Catra started to reach down to grab Adora to carry her back to the tank but was interrupted when her vision was suddenly obscured by a cloud of sparkly pink dust-something. She stumbled backwards, then tripped over as something suddenly wrapped itself around her. Pushing against her restraints, she discovered that it was a simple net. _Ha, they think a simple net will be enough to stop me?_ She broke through the bindings easily as she stood. The next she was able to see Adora she was vanishing away in a sparkly pink haze.

Catra had been given her orders, and she was determined to follow them through.

~

Adora stumbled as she re-materialised, still reeling from the strike to her stomach from Catra. She thought that if she explained herself to Catra she would easily come along with her. _Does she not care about doing what’s actually good for Etheria? Is she evil like I’ve learned the Horde is? No, I know Catra, there must be another reason, a good reason._

Adora was shaken from her reverie by a strained panting she heard behind her. She whipped around to see an exhausted Glimmer, slumped against a damaged tree, holding the magical sword forlornly.

“We need you. We need She-Ra. I should've given this back to you in the ruin. You could've saved us, and I knew that. But I was stupid. And a jerk. And I'm sorry!” She held the sword out in front of her.

“You’re not a jerk.” Adora attempted to comfort her. For whatever reason she didn’t like seeing the sparkly princess sad, even in the midst of such tragedy. “I'm the Horde soldier. How do you know you can trust me now?”

“I don't. But I hope I can. I feel like maybe you're here to help us.” Glimmer’s rekindled hope was infectious. Adora reached out and grabbed the sword. She still couldn’t get over the fact that it weighed barely anything and was comfortable to wield.

Steeling herself, she swung the sword over her head, and spoke the same words as earlier:

“For the honour… of GRAYSKULL!”

~

Catra held the archer by the scruff of his collar. “Where did they go?”

“I- I swear I don’t know!” the wavering intonation of his voice grated Catra’s ears. “Please let me go!” He cried.

Catra couldn’t see any other use for him, so she was gonna comply with his request. Her way. “Oh, I’ll let you go, arrow boy.” She held him out as far as she could, while she wound a fist back. “Go flying!”

She was about to let loose just as an insane amount of force struck her from the side. “Don’t hurt him!” She barely had enough time to register that something had just tackled her before she hit the ground, grating along it for a few tens of meters. It didn’t hurt that much but by Hordak she had never been hit like that, ever. And she was able to crumble tanks with a flurry of blows. _What on Etheria just decked me like it was nothing?_

As she looked up from her position in the dirt, she was met with an intense glow. There stood an imposing warrior, immensely tall, clad in white and gold, framed by long, shimmering, radiant hair. The piercing blue eyes seemed familiar, but Catra was still a little dazed by the recent experience, not to mention the power exuding from the figure was astounding, they were maybe even as strong as herself.

As Catra began to stand to face the newcomer, the last thing she expected from them was to start freaking out. “Ahhhhh what did I just do?!” The figure screamed, looking back and forth between her empty hand and the one that contained a giant sword, easily almost as tall as Catra, if not taller. The figure’s voice also triggered a sense of familiarity, but Catra couldn’t quite place it. “I didn’t know she’d go flying that far! Wait a minute… I sent Catra flying. With barely any effort.” Catra just stared at the bizarre scene before her for a minute as the figure stared at their huge hands dumbfounded. “Just what exactly have I become?” The figure then looked up to where Catra was now standing, still unsure of what to make of this situation.

“Oh gosh, are you hurt? I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, I was just doing what felt natural at the time and I had no clue that I could just y’know, do that.”

The voice was unmistakable now. “Adora?” She called out meekly. If what she was now piecing together was true… no, surely not. Her best friend could never be… one of them.

Adora opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the rumble of Horde tanks rolling into the square, barrels aimed at the warrior. As the hum of charging laser cannons permeated around the area, she raised her sword, staring down the closest tank defiantly. A feeling of worry overcame Catra, as she didn’t know what this maybe-Adora could handle. Before Catra could order them to hold their fire, Adora slammed the sword into the ground, energy cracking and splitting the earth, knocking over soldiers and rocking the tanks. She then ran towards a tank, slicing its cannon clean off, rendering it useless. She proceeded to leap around, hauling soldiers out of their vehicles or destroying their tech.

After disabling several of them, Adora felt more than heard someone’s presence and turned around to see Catra leaping towards her, yelling aggressively, fist aimed at her head. With lightning reflexes, Adora caught the oncoming appendage and halted it in its entirety, her hand almost entirely enveloping Catra’s smaller one. Something registered in the back of her mind, recalling just how powerful Catra’s punches could be. And she had been able to stop it without lifting so much as a hand. Catra seemed to be just as surprised, widened eyes staring at their connected fists like she couldn’t believe it.

But Adora couldn’t dwell on that right now. She made one last desperate bid to win Catra over. “You surely can’t be okay with what the Horde is doing, Catra?”

Catra’s eyes narrowed. “What has gotten into you Adora?” She replied, ignoring Adora’s question. “You find a sword and what? The Horde not good enough for you anymore?”

‘I’ve learned that they’ve been anything but!” She emphasized her point by pushing back through her arm so that they were now standing a few meters apart. “But Catra, you can come with me, we can fix this, together.” She held out an empty hand, wide open for Catra to take.

A small part of Catra really wanted to be able to just grab that hand and follow Adora, forsake their dreams of rising to be the protectors of Etheria. But Catra’s pride and loyalty won over it, even though Catra knew the Horde for what it is. She thought Adora had too. But that question could be answered later; she had been given a directive. It did also not help that she was oblivious to her warrior instinct itching for a challenging fight.

She batted Adora’s enlarged arm away. “My place is with the Horde, and that’s where yours is too!”

She planted a kick square in Adora’s stomach, which only made her stumble backwards a few steps, not flying like it would any other person. Clearly this new warrior form was very durable, but was it fast? Catra followed with a flurry of blows, Adora just barely blocking the brunt of it with her bracers. Catra then sidestepped to plant another kick into Adora’s side, but in that amount of time Adora was able to swing the flat of her sword and sent Catra flying straight into one of the tanks, its plating crumpling under the force.

 _So she’s got some reflexes._ Catra thought as she pried herself of the side of the tank. She launched herself at Adora once again.

“I’m not going back to the Horde, ever.” Adora said, rushing forward herself to meet Catra.

The two exchanged blows for a series of moments, Catra sometimes toppling Adora for how awkward she appeared to be handling this unfamiliar form, but with every exchange, Adora seemed to be getting a handle on herself, and ultimately had Catra on the back foot for the majority. Currently Catra was crouched behind some rubble, waiting for the opportunity for a surprise attack. Her tail twitched in anticipation. As soon as Adora turned to face away, she would strike. Thankfully for Catra, a group of soldiers had decided to make themselves known, directly across the square from where Catra was. As their stun batons and laser shields flared to life, Adora swiftly turned to face them.

Catra literally leapt at the opportunity, and shortly, Catra hoped that this whole ordeal would finally be over. But just as she was about to take the opportune strike, without barely a glance, Adora swung an arm behind her which promptly connected with Catra’s head. Catra flew through the air for several tens of meters, before tumbling for a couple more against the ground. She groaned, struggling to stand now.

_Just what in Hordak’s name has Adora become? How is she seamlessly handing my ass to me?_

Her armour was now broken and torn in a couple of places. She looked up to see the Horde forces issuing a retreat, one which she hadn’t ordered. They were probably right to order a retreat now to preserve whatever remaining assets they had, but she would ensure they received some sort of reprimand regardless.

Catra really didn’t want to let Adora be the victor of their first clash as near-equals, but she knew she did not have enough stamina left to take Adora down head on. She would return to Shadow Weaver empty handed, but hopefully she would understand, and they could come up with a solution together. She slinked away into the smoke, but Adora’s eyes didn’t meet hers as her seemingly new friends appeared. Catra felt a twinge in her gut; she wished she were standing there instead of them.

~

Adora was looking for where Catra was but was interrupted by two now familiar figures approaching her.

“Adora!” They cried as they embraced her. “You did it! You drove the Horde back!”

“Yeah I guess I did, hu- oouufff.” The golden shimmering form of She-Ra vanished as Adora collapsed to the ground, now feeling like she’d been through training simulations all day.

“Are you alright?” Glimmer knelt down to help her up.

“Yeah, just feel a little spent, is all.” As Adora stood and began to fully process what had come to pass, one thought surfaced above all others; “Oh wow, I turned against the Horde. I turned against the Horde! What do I do now!?” She began to freak out as she began to worry about the severe ramifications of performing said action.

“Don’t worry Adora! There’ll be a place for you in Brightmoon!” Glimmer beamed. “Plus, I’m sure the queen will want to meet you!”

“Yeah, of course.” Bow piped up. “She knows more about First One’s tech and Etherian legends than anyone else.” Bow placed a hand on her shoulder. “If anyone will be able to help you out, it’ll be her.”

“Well, I don’t really have anywhere else to go so thanks.” By now some of the citizens were returning, filing into the square to wonder where the Horde had gone.

“Don’t forget, you made a good choice today, Adora.” Glimmer said.

“Yeah,” Adora rubbed her arm unconsciously as she looked out over the square and into the now dissipating smoke. “I guess I did.” _I hope I did._

~

_She left me._

_I wasn’t able to make her stay._

_And she was able to toss me around like I was nothing!_

The first two thoughts ripped at her self-worth, the third dug at her pride.

Catra hadn’t reported to Shadow Weaver just yet. She wanted to avoid people in general, so she’d retreated to the training block of the Fright Zone. She would otherwise be brooding in the barracks, but the scribble created by a Catra and Adora long past only served to deepen her souring mood. She’d planted a half-assed kick into the wall where it stood and had somehow caved in the crude rendition of her best friend. She’d promptly vacated the room.

Currently, the scattered remains of broken bots sat around her. With every passing thought and punch, her rage grew, and currently it was reaching a peak never previously reached.

She finished tossing a bot at the wall where it crumpled, now lifeless, as several more entered her vicinity.

 _Our dream no longer mattered to her._ She tore the legs off one.

 _She cared more about people she barely even knew._ Another had its lens ripped out.

 _And I couldn’t even hold my own against her!_ She planted such a powerful kick into one that it crashed into another they exploded.

 _She’s throwing everything away because she wasn’t happy with what she had, even though she had everything she should have wanted._ She leapt on top of one and slammed a fist down through its core. _She wasn’t happy with you._

Then one final intrusive thought came to her. _Adora never cared about you._

With a guttural scream, her world exploded in a flash of white.

~

Perfuma was meditating a short way out of Plumeria, in a sunny clearing she found particularly calming. She was thinking about how pleasant the day had been, when she was interrupted by a slew of discomforting emotions. Anger, sadness, and confusion where the most prominent.

_Someone is clearly not in a positive mood today. Whoever you are, my thoughts are with you._

~

Alarms and warnings flashed on several of Entrapta’s monitors. Entrapta dropped the half-dismantled contraption where she was and clambered across the messy workshop to view them. “Oooh, wow! These energy readings are astounding! Just what is producing them though? Oh, they’re coming from the Fright Zone! The Horde must have developed something really big!” She whipped out her recorder. “Log, day #62: Reminder to travel to the Fright Zone at some point to investigate major electromagnetic disturbance.”

~ 

Adora was waiting in Glimmer’s room, attempting to call on the power she had wielded in Thaymore once again, in preparation for meeting the queen.

“For the honour of graysku-aaaaauuuuwoah!” A weird sense of vertigo struck her suddenly and stumbled while swinging the sword around the unfamiliar space, the weird feeling throwing her off balance. The sword slipped out of her hand and clanged on the ground beside her.

_Uuuuuggh, this clearly is not working for me at all. What am I missing?_

~

Madame Razz was sweeping out her hut, in preparation for the visitor who was soon to arrive. “She’ll be here to come pick berries with us soon Loo-kee.” She called out to no-one. As she swept the dust and crumbs outside, she took pause, and looked up. A small smile formed on her face.

“A champion has risen.”

~

Shadow Weaver was currently filing a report on the development for the earth poisoning device to be deployed at Plumeria in the coming weeks. Sure, it was dreary, menial work but it had to be done if she were to stay in Hordak’s good books, assuming he had any. She was aware that Catra had returned, albeit without her prized protégé, but Shadow Weaver knew exactly what was going on with Adora and could not place Catra at fault.

Her train of thought was interrupted as her senses suddenly felt like they were being frizzled. As Shadow Weaver regained her composure, a resounding explosion reached her chamber. Refocusing her magic and directing it, she could feel the immense power that had seemingly appeared with the Fright Zone. It was all at once familiar yet unknown.

Shadow Weaver’s eyes widened with realisation; _Stars… has she done it?_

She dropped her work and hurriedly floated towards the training block. If what she thought had come to pass… oh, today’s loss was going to be more than made up for. She passed many startled and disturbed soldiers and maintenance crew in the metallic halls on her way there, as was expected from the drabble that constituted the bulk of the Horde’s numbers. She ordered in passing for clean-up crews to head for the training block but do not enter until her say so.

As she reached the training block, she was met with some wounded being dragged out. Seems some unfortunate people had happened to be nearby. The energy was getting even stronger, the air almost feeling heavy. Shadow Weaver rounded a corner and was met with a corridor of twisted and torn metal. Navigating through it, she could surmise that the source had demolished an entire training room and its surrounds. Her eye soon caught a glow sifting through some of the wreckage, as well as cracks in the ceiling.

Stepping out from the wreckage, she was met with a majestic sight:

In the centre of the absolute carnage was Catra, staring blankly ahead of her while floating slightly above where the floor level would be if there now wasn’t a two-metre-deep crater beneath her. Her hair and tail were now a brilliant yellow, and the whites of her eyes had taken on the dual blue and yellow she had normally in her irises, while the irises had become the reverse. She had an intense glow surrounding her, energy sometimes forming in electrical arcs encircling her. The energy was more intense than anything Shadow Weaver had ever felt; it was nearly disrupting the connection she had to the Black Garnet.

The initial release of energy had also shattered the roof above, the late afternoon sunlight filtering through above. In this state, Catra almost appeared ethereal.

 _Never would I have believed… not in all my life… would I have truly expected her too…_  
Shadow Weaver approached Catra cautiously.

 _Become the legendary Super Saiyan._  
Shadow Weaver had some insight to just what Catra had tapped into by breaking into Mystacor during a particularly bad magical swell some years after the night she took in her protégé’s. They’d redoubled the strength of their magical wards since as she had only just been caught as she was leaving, but she’d gotten her hands on what she needed, and that was an ancient record describing loosely the relationship between the Etherians and the Saiyans over a thousand years ago, before Etheria had ben trapped in Despondos. It also mentioned a special warrior state unique to Saiyans called a Super Saiyan that amplified the user’s powers more than tenfold.<

Shadow Weavers mind raced with the possibilities of uses Catra could have now that she’d unlocked her potential. She’d have to try extra hard to ensure that she kept Catra, with Adora temporarily out from under her thumb. Shadow Weaver was now in the crater below Catra, looking up at her. Catra’s head was slightly tilted up, her arms slightly stretched out to the sides. She had still made no response. As Shadow Weaver floated up to her level, and began to stretch an arm out, Catra suddenly dropped to the ground, the radiant glow disappearing.

“Hu- unngh.” She looked like whatever had just transpired was quite taxing on her. She heaved herself up on all fours.

Shadow Weaver floated down and stroked Catra’s cheek. “Catra, my child, look at me.”

Catra slowly looked up at her, her brilliant golden hair reverting to her normal deep brown, her eyes also returning to normal. “Sh- Shadow Weaver? Wh- What happened?” She mumbled weakly. She began to take stock of her surroundings. The world felt like it was spinning. “Wh- what did I do? I remember… fighting bots a- and then feeling, angry, but powerful and it felt all so clear but hazy at the same time and I-"

“It’s fine dear, there’s nothing to worry about.” Shadow Weaver reassured. It was understandable that she would be confused after being flooded with such amazing power. “You just tapped into your true potential.”

“My… true potential?” Catra held her hand as Shadow Weaver helped her up. “You mean that...I…?”

“Yes, you are far more powerful than you believe Catra. What you just experienced was an amplification of your abilities in a form called a ‘Super Saiyan.’”

“A say-a-what now?” Catra had a quizzical look on her face.

“It is a state of being unique to your race, the Saiyans-“

“Wait a minute!” Catra interrupted. “You knew what I was this whole time, and never thought once to tell me?”

“I never deemed it as being important.” Shadow Weaver drawled. “Besides, you never thought to ask me.” Catra thought it was scary sometimes how quickly Shadow Weaver could shift from caring to indifferent.

_And here I was, thinking I was a magic accident or something cool like that._

“Getting back to the point,” Shadow Weaver continued, “I can train you to control your power, to wield it.” Catra thought about the rush she had experienced and stared at the wreckage around her. If this is what she was only capable of now, what would she be able to do with time and practice? Her mind wandered back to the confrontation with Adora, and how bitter the taste of that defeat was. Something within her yearned to be the strongest, and now she had a way to prove that she was.

“When do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A commenter on the first chapter rlly called me out didn't they? (I didn't reply bc I would have given it away that they got it right)
> 
> Don't expect any sort of upload schedule from me, as another of my projects is gonna be posted a couple of days from now, as it's been sitting there for a while, and I'm finally happy to share it.  
> (But I'll probably be motivated to write if y'all say nice things lmao)
> 
> Anyway, I look forward to hearing all your thoughts and opinions.


	3. Don't you see? We're meant to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra is working on strengthening her control over her new form, and tries to best the Princess of Power once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! It's been a while, but I have been busy with arranging a new full time job, and this fic was a little bit of a struggle to write. But I hope that my other fic tied you over during that time, unless you haven't read it yet, which you so should.
> 
> But anyway, here's the somewhat long-awaited third chapter.

Catra launched a barrage of energy blasts at the encircling shadows, yelling as she did so. The energy shifted behind her, and she twisted to block a strike from a shadow that had twisted its form to be extra bulky. With an even louder yell, her aura flared to life and her hair and tail became a shimmering golden yellow. With the sudden increase in strength, she grabbed the offending appendage, and tossed the shadow figure over her and slammed it into the ground. Following up, she prepared a large amount of energy in her hand, leapt above the still stunned shadow, and fired it while still in the air. Upon hitting the figure, the shadow dissipated. Catra landed back on the ground as the swirling shadows reformed around her. They came at her much more violently than before, a barrage of claws and blades, and there seemed to be a lot more of them. The thrill of the fight inspired Catra to push herself, so she threw herself into the oncoming shadows. Catra was able to hold her own for a moment, firing multitudes of blasts into her surrounds. But she was quickly overwhelmed, and her aura was shattered under the quick succession of multiple intense strikes.

Then the assault eased, leaving an exhausted Catra lying crumpled in the middle of the floor of the training room, her glow fading.

“I expected you to hold out for longer, but you are repeatedly proving yourself to be reckless and arrogant.” Came the drawling voice of Shadow Weaver.

“I have to… ungh… push myself, commander Weaver.” Catra grunted as she hauled herself to her feet. “or I won’t be able to fight the princesses at all.”

Catra could not, would not, ever let Adora’s victory slide. That’s why all her effort was being poured into training herself to be the strongest she could possibly be. It had been about a month now, full of rigorous training against the might of Shadow Weaver’s sorcery, and she was only just getting a handle on her latent power; Nothing had still quite felt like that first time, the pure energy that flooded her body and her mind. That exhilarating experience had yet to be recaptured.

“There are better ways of raising your limits, you know.” Catra looked up now, to see the figure of Shadow Weaver floating in front of her. “Brute strength and a sheer amount of willpower will only get you so far.” She brought her spindly hands together and pointed them at her. “I keep telling you that you need to incorporate some actual tact when in combat, but as I’ve noticed over the years, you appear to be lacking it in other aspects as well.”

“I’ll be able to take down the princesses just fine how I am.” She turned away and dusted herself off. “I don’t need to be wasting my time ‘thinking’ about _how_ to fight. What I should be doing is going out there right now and giving those princesses what for.”

Shadow Weaver began to chuckle harshly. “I do not believe you to be as capable as you make yourself out to be for even a second. While you certainly exhibit prowess far beyond the norm, you are not impervious.” Her eyes narrowed. “You would fall under even the combined efforts of a mere two princesses.”

“Oh, and what makes you an expert on fighting princesses?” Catra retorted. If fighting were the thing Catra was best at, shit-talking would be a close second.

“I fought against the First Rebellion, many years ago. I vanquished even the most powerful among them, the rulers of the Kingdom of Snows. If you were to be pitted against them right now, you would not have even an ounce of chance at defeating them.”

Catra paled slightly and gave pause. “Well… since they’re not around anymore the princesses now surely can’t be as strong as them, right?”

“Oh, not quite as strong, but their weakness now is that they are divided. That may change with Adora having tapped into some untold power.” Shadow Weaver couldn’t reveal to Catra that she had known all along that Adora was destined to wield such power. “Which you need to train yourself to overcome.” Shadow Weaver had been keeping a close eye on Catra, and knew that she had been feeling quite bitter about Thaymore, and was using that to push her. “So, with that, we will go again. I expect you to do better.”

“You know I give nothing but 100 percent, Commander.” Catra’s swagger had returned, bolstered by the premise of being able to experience the thrill of battle again.

‘That’s amusing.” Shadow Weaver replied, shadows taking shape across the room. Perhaps, maybe, Catra could give even ten percent of what she knew her to be truly capable of.

~

As the Dragon’s Daughter three sailed across the intense blue of the sea, Adora’s thoughts once again wandered to her fight with Catra, and how while wielding the power of She-Ra how electrifying it had felt. Compared to how she felt when she transformed into She-Ra now, the first time she felt she had been less in control of herself, like She-Ra acted on instinct. If they were to face each other again, would the outcome be the same? Adora wasn’t so sure. She knew better than anyone just how capable Catra was and given the long month and a bit it had been since their last encounter, who knew if Adora would be able to stand up against her.

She could only hope that they wouldn’t have to fight like that again.

~

As the Sea Gate came into view, Catra’s nerves were building, though she didn’t let it show. A lot was falling on her with this mission; she had to get Adora back and take down the gate that has defended Salineas for centuries. Catra had no way to truly measure her chances of success, so while she was somewhat sure of her own abilities, it was who was on the opposing side that threw her off. And while the Force Captain assigned with her looked like she would be able to hold her own, her demeanour suggested otherwise. Catra wondered just how Scorpia even became a Force Captain in the first place, as she was nothing like any other she’d come across. How she’d ever missed someone like her in all the time she’d been in the Fright Zone was beyond her. Scorpia had known who she was, however, but that wasn’t hard when you were the greatest brawler among the cadets, able to take down even senior officers with ease, with the exception of Shadow Weaver, and Hordak didn’t take challenges, although Catra had an inkling that she could take him in a fight with her current power, but her focus was trained on evening the score with Adora.

She stared down at the deck where Adora’s ex-squad were chatting animatedly with Scorpia while they prepared for their assault.

 _Adora thought she was too good for this, left us because we weren’t enough for her. I’ll prove her wrong. She’ll see that the Horde’s power,_ my _power, is what she belongs to, belongs to her._

She felt the faint tingling of the power within her, as it rose along with her anger.

 _She could have had_ everything.

The Sea Gate was only a short while away from striking distance now. There was a familiar glow placed around the centre of the gate, and Catra could make out that there were an array of platforms arranged in front of it.

_There you are._

The rising anticipation caused Catra’s well of energy to feel like it was building up under the surface of her skin, ready to unleash at her command. A shout rang out and a figure jumped from the centre platform and into the water. Catra was not bothered that they’d been noticed; she had felt no need for their assault to be stealthy, not that it really could be in these waters.

“Take down that gate!” she called down to her fellow soldiers. “I’ll deal with the princesses.”

~

Adora was wholly focused on restoring the gate, and while she wanted to be able to take care of the incoming Horde attack herself, this was far more important now. Plus, between her new friends and the water Princess, she was confident that they could handle it. She was strengthening her connection the gate when she was suddenly tackled from the side. The pain of impacting the beach at the side of the gate was nothing compared to the sharp snap of disconnecting with the gate, and she grunted with agony.

“That’s for getting the jump on me back in Thaymore.” Called an all too familiar voice. “Now get up so I can beat some actual sense into you.”

Adora opened her eyes from her position face down on the sand. There was some sort of figure standing over her, and it was definitely familiar. “Catra?” Adora vaguely remembered that she _had_ done something similar towards Catra at Thaymore.

“Yeah, it’s me, dummy. Now get the fuck up, I’m bringing you back to the Horde this time, whether you like it or not.”

“What will it take for you to get that I don’t _want_ to go back.” Adora said as she got to her feet and took a defensive stance. Catra leapt backward a short way.

Catra glared at her. “Well, you don’t have much of a choice, at least, not _this time._ ” Two orbs of glowing energy formed in her hands.

Adora’s eyes widened. “When the hell did you get powers like Glimmer’s?!”

“Oh, believe me. Her power doesn’t even compare to mine.” Adora had no time to prepare for the barrage that was suddenly unleashed on her. It didn’t send her flying, but she was pushed back quite a bit as she was battered repeatedly in the arms, chest and face. It eased off, and Adora had barely a moment to catch a breath before she was met with sight of Catra standing right in front of her swinging upwards. As Adora was struck in the jaw she was launched upwards a small distance and came crashing down a bit.

“I’ve become more powerful than you can even imagine.” Catra called as Adora regained her footing, groaning as she did so. “Now, we can continue to do this the easy way, or the hard wa-“

“Adora!” A mist of sparkles signalled Glimmer materialising, quickly firing her magic at the figure clad in Horde livery. Catra reacted by firing a blast that burst through Glimmer’s blasts, and Glimmer had to teleport to avoid it.

“Oh, concerned for your _friend_ here?” Catra jeered. Adora did not like how she accentuated that word. “Too bad for you, she isn’t yours.”

“No one could ever be friends with a Horde soldier!”

A genuine look of hurt passed over Catra’s face for a moment, before shifting to pure rage. “You’ll regret you ever said that, Glitter!” She launched herself at the pink-haired princess.

Glimmer teleported at the last second, appearing a few meters behind her. As Catra whipped around, Glimmer taunted her by smiling and doing a small wave.

Growling, Catra sent a large blast towards her, large enough that it was tearing up the ground slightly. Glimmer merely teleported again, this time inspecting her nails like she was disinterested. As Catra prepared to launch another blast at Glimmer, she was reminded of Adora’s presence by a strike to her side that sent her stumbling a bit. It didn’t have quite as much power behind it as what Catra experienced in Thaymore.

“Two against one? You might have a chance at beating me now.” Suddenly, the sound of laser fire could be heard from across the water. “But there’s more than one reason for why I’m here.”

Adora and Glimmer turned to see the Horde frigate firing at the Sea Gate, which was now starting to look worse than before.

“No! I can’t let you do this.” Adora started to run for the water, when she was struck in the back by an intense force, face-planting into the sand.

“Oh, but I can, and I will Adora. There’s nothing you can do now to save it. I’ve got you over here and your new friends are, well, failing over there.” Adora looked up. Mermista and Bow were barely handling themselves against the Horde soldiers.

Glimmer teleported to where Adora was lying. “C’mon Adora, we have to go save the-aaaoouuufff!” Glimmer didn’t see the kick that sent her flying.

“Take that, Princess” Adora was starting to get to her feet, so Catra responded by planting a boot on her back and pushed her further into the sand. “I thought you would put up more of a challenge, but I’ve barely had to exert myself.” She laughed mirthlessly. “You are squandering your power with these pitiful weaklings but coming back to the Horde will change _all_ of that. Today’s display will prove it.”

Meanwhile Glimmer had an idea that could turn the tide of the battle. “Adora! I’m going to get help, don’t worry!”

Catra turned and glared in her direction. “You little pest! Why won’t you stay out of my way?!” She yelled as she launched a barrage of blasts at her, but Glimmer was already vanishing into thin air. She could feel Adora pushing herself to get up, so she forced her foot down even harder. “You and your friends are going to fail today, no matter what they do, so it’s no use struggling.”

“I cannot give up on them Catra! They need me!”

“The Horde needs you more than they do!” Catra retorted. “What have they done to deserve your help, your friendship?”

“Because the Horde is evil! They _hurt_ people.” Adora turned her head, trying to look Catra in the eyes. On her face was a look of pleading. “Do you not care about them?”

“No, I don’t, because I don’t need them. But I need _you,_ Adora. To unite Etheria, to protect it. The Horde will make Etheria strong, powerful. And we were destined to lead it, _together._ ” Catra flipped Adora around so she could face her and grabbed her collar. “So, are you going to choose to come back, or do I have to-“

Suddenly, a cry rang out across the small bay: “Advenchaaaaaaa!” Catra and Adora looked out to witness a small boat race out across the water. As it neared the frigate, it lit itself on fire.

Catra’s eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen. “NO! You will not get your worthless victory!” Her aura flared to life as she sped out across the water, heading for the burning ship, hoping to thwart the rebellion’s surprise counterattack.

But she didn’t get there in time.

~

“Guys, we did it! Bow exclaimed as Mermista brought him to shore. Adora and Glimmer engulfed him in a hug, relieved to see he was okay. Sea Hawk started to sing a victory shanty but Mermista shut him up by blasting water at his head.

“Those Horde scum won’t get Salineas today, or ever!” Glimmer yelled.

“Yeah, but they _nearly_ did.” Mermista said. “Besides, you haven’t actually repaired the Sea Gate yet.” She pointed to it, which in fact, looked like it was barely holding on.

“Oh relax, with the Horde driven back I can finally get around to-“

Adora was interrupted as the water next to them erupted like a geyser, and everyone jumped back in fright. As the water crashed back down, the cause of the sudden spout was revealed:

Hovering above the surface of the water was Catra, her expression filled with rage. The explosion from the frigate had stunned her and launched her into the water, which was another thing she had to get payback for.

“I have not come all this way just to lose to three measly Princesses! That gate is coming down one way or another!” With a mighty yell everyone suddenly felt an immense pressure fall over them. While the others shielded their eyes, Adora watched on as the scene evolved before her.

Catra’s mane-like hair took on a shimmering golden appearance, along with her tail. The whites of her eyes took on the colour of her irises, while the irises themselves swapped their colours. Catra’s eyes then met Adora’s, which were staring in awe and wonder. “Hey Adora,” Catra drawled. “You’re not the only one who’s unlocked their potential.”

Adora had barely any time to react to that. One moment she had been taking in the amazing sight before her, her mind only just barely starting to wonder what on Hordak was going on, next she knew she was hurtling towards the rock wall that bordered Salineas. She slammed into it with a resounding thud and fell to the rocky shore beneath her. The other rebellion members looked on in shock as Catra smirked in Adora’s direction.

“Now that looks like victory to me.” Her tail swished slowly behind her.

“Whoever you are, you are NOT taking Salineas!” Mermista channelled her magic to form a wave that would sweep Catra off her feet, but she was as immovable as a rock.

“Is that all you’ve got, salty?” She pointed at Mermista with two fingers, a ball of energy forming around them. “And here I thought that water would be made of tougher stuff.” She blasted Mermista and sent her flying, tumbling along the ground for several meters.

Sea Hawk drew his las-rapier. “How dare you affront my fair sea breeze. You will pay dearly for that.” He seemed unfazed, and his boldness spurred Bow and Glimmer to take a stance either side of him.

“So, all of you are the kind that don’t know when to quit?” A manic grin spread over her face. “Well, too bad for you, I don’t know either.” She unleashed an intense barrage of blasts on them as they rushed forward. Sea Hawk cut through the energy with his rapier as he advanced, the split halves of them exploding behind him. Catra’s surprise at this gave Glimmer the opportunity to strike from the side, landing one sparkly fist in Catra’s face. Momentarily reeling from the assault, Bow launched an exploding arrow at Catra’s feet. The explosion sent Catra cartwheeling through the air, but she landed on her feet a couple of tens of meters down the shore.

The assault hadn’t hurt her really, just took her by surprise. Her tail twitched in agitation. _Get a grip on yourself! Focus!_ Catra reigned in her flowing energy and asserted her control over it. Getting too angry lead to losing hold of her powers, and she couldn’t afford to lose. Not right now when she was close to beating them.

Glimmer barely saw Catra move to take out Sea Hawk and Bow. One minute she was reading the last portion of her magic for a teleportation strike, next her friends were falling to the ground, reeling from quick but heavy jabs. Wanting to get back at Catra, she charged her next strike with all the magic she had left. Appearing behind Catra, she aimed to plant her fist right in the middle of her back. But in the instance of her swing, Catra turned and caught it in her hand, having no effect on her whatsoever. “Get ready to join your friends on the ground!” She leapt up into the air, taking Glimmer with her, her energy holding them in the air momentarily, and threw Glimmer toward the ground. Just before she hit the ground, however, a cushion of water formed underneath her.

“How are you holding up, Glimmer?” Mermista called, using her powers to let patterns of water swirl around her, readied to fight Catra with.

“Like I haven’t had any sleep for three days.” Glimmer responded, getting to her feet. Catra descended back down to the ground.

“Not gonna ask how you know what that feels like, but we need to take her down now. She got a weakness you know of?”

“Yeah, her tail.” Came a third voice. Glimmer, Mermista and Catra turned to see Adora walking towards the, looking a little worse for wear but still standing strong. “If you grab it, it’ll paralyse her.”

 _Shit, I thought she was down for the count. And to reveal my one weakness? That’s low Adora._ She coiled her tail around her waist. “Well then,” Catra jeered. “Guess I’ll just have to not let you grab it then.” As the three princesses rushed forward, Catra gathered a large amount of energy in her hand, and blasted it into the ground below her, sending sand and rock everywhere, the shockwave causing the attackers to tumble away from her.

Mermista was the first to recover and formed multiple medium-sized jets of water to strike Catra with. The jets swirled around Catra and struck against her repeatedly. Catra responded by spreading her arms wide, creating a small energy wave that repelled the water. She then rushed at Mermista, unleashing a barrage of blows upon her. Mermista tried to parry with her trident, but within seconds, Mermista crumpled to the ground. A growl behind her caught her attention and turned to see Glimmer running full pelt at her, a magicless fist wound back.

 _Oh, that’s just pitiful._ Catra sidestepped and tripped Glimmer up, inwardly laughing at her face descending towards the sand and becoming half-buried in it. _Now, there should just be one annoyance left._ Looking around, and without a sparkly princess to distract her, she saw Adora slowly approaching, grunting and huffing, her grip on the sword was weak.

“See? There is no way for you to win, Adora.” Catra then looks behind Adora, toward her other goal, the Sea Gate, the last of its reddened energies remaining in defiance. She raised her hands to one side of her head, curled outwards. A glowing orb of energy slowly rising in intensity. “This is the end, Adora!”

Adora stood defiantly in front of Catra. “I will defend the people of Etheria to the last, Catra. Even from you.” She held her sword directly upwards with two hands, preparing for the attack.

Something about that hit home with Catra. Was Adora calling her a monster? An instigator of violence and destruction? Well, if that’s what she thought about her, then she was going to play the part. “That gate is coming down!”

As Catra finished charging the blast, a look of surprise came over her face, and yelped as she fell to her knees, the energy vanishing from her hands. Behind her, stood Sea Hawk, yanking on her golden furred tail.

“Ah ha!” Sea Hawk yelled triumphantly. “That’ll teach you to mess with the sea, for it does not bow down for anyone!”

“Argh! Let me go!” Catra yelled, sounding like she was in agony. “Do you know how much that- ungh- fucking hurts!” With that, Catra’s golden aura faded, and she cradled her head in her hands.

“I’ll make it hurt even more, Horde Scum!” Glimmer yelled, coming to stand in front of Catra. “You were there at Thaymore as well, weren’t you?”

“Shut up, Pinky.” Catra threw a punch at Glimmer from her kneeling position, but her focus was so loose Glimmer didn’t even have to raise an arm to defend herself, Catra’s fist softly connecting with Glimmer’s thigh.

Glimmer laughed down at her. “Where’d all that power go, huh? Let’s see how you like being a prisoner.”

“Sorry to interrupt but someone’s gate needs fixing.” Mermista interjected.

Adora looked up from where she was checking over Bow, who was only now stirring from unconsciousness. “Oh, of course, Mermista, you can count on it.

“Well, make sure to do it _before_ the Horde attack again, please.” Mermista said, before she began walking toward her kingdom, along with Glimmer, whom Adora gave Bow to so her had someone to lean on. “Keep holding her, Sea Hawk.”

“Aye aye, my dear.” Sea Hawk replied.

Adora looked down at Catra, whose face was contorted into a slight grimace. Part of her didn’t want to see Catra like this, this force of anger that had to be contained by such painful means. She looked around to make sure everyone apart from Sea Hawk was out of earshot and shifted out of being She-Ra and presented herself as plain Adora and knelt in front of Catra. Catra looked up at her. “What do you want? Come to gloat? Shove your superiority in my face?”

“No, not quite. Say I let you go.” Catra’s expression became quizzical. “Would you promise to return the Horde this instant, without attacking anyone or anything?”

Catra laughed in her face. Adora wondered if it helped her ignore the pain. “Why would I play along with all you goody-two-shoes wannabe’s? I’m not gonna bow down for any of you.”

“Catra, I just don’t think you deserve this, at al-“

“Wow, playing good guy for the ‘obviously’ good guys and what? Did you say that the ’bad guys’ don’t deserve punishment? This whole ordeal has really gone to your head. You love being the hero, don’t you? You want to feel special because you have to.”

“That’s not what this is about.” She stood to address Sea Hawk. “I can take it from here.” She grabbed Catra’s tail from Sea Hawks tight grip. Catra noticed that she wasn’t holding on as hard as he was, but still paralysed her enough.

“Then what is it about, Adora?”

“Because when I said that I’ll protect Etheria, that includes the Horde. Not everyone is bad, not even you, I know that. They weren’t given that choice. That’s why I’m giving you one now.”

Catra took in all that she said. What gave her the right to act like she was better than everyone? How could she be so hypocritical about it all? But Catra saw no other way out of this situation. It felt like Thaymore was happening all over again; confused, betrayed, and outmatched. “So what, I just walk in the other direction and you let me go? You know that even after your whole spiel about being a good guy or whatever, I could just continue to serve the Horde?” If there’s one thing Adora could be sometimes, it was an idiot.

“You know I can’t control you, Catra, so yeah, you could.” Before Catra could respond, someone called out to them from one of the platforms in front of the gate:

“Hurry up over there! We wanna head home already!” It sounded like it was Glimmer.

Adora quickly came up with another idea. “Quick! Punch me and then run away.”

“What? Why?” Of all Adora’s harebrained ideas she’d been witness to over the years, this was by far the most bizarre.

“Just do it Catra.”

Catra found no use in arguing and was quite over this whole ordeal anyway. “Fine. I’ve been wanting to hit your stupid face for a whole month anyway.” As Adora started letting go of Catra’s tail, she whirled around and hit her square in the face, knocking her to the ground. Surprisingly, it didn’t make her feel that much better, really. Didn’t feel right to attack her in that way, but regardless, she sped off down the shore, hoping she could catch her crew at the rendezvous point. _The lengths I will go to for you Adora._ She thought as she ran, in the opposite direction of Salineas.

As Adora hauled herself to her feet, she caught a glimpse of a figure clad in the distinct red and grey colours of the Horde dashing amongst the rocks, heading away from Salineas.

_I knew you don’t really want this destruction, the violence and terror of the Horde. It isn’t the real you._

She turned away and headed for the gate, Sword of Protection in hand.

_Now, let’s finally fix this gate._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm proud of this chapter, but I'm still skeptical of whether I'm writing the characters well or not, bc I'm honestly terrible with deducting shit like that.
> 
> Dunno when the next chap will go up, bc I'm gonna be spending the foreseeable future sorting out stuff for work, and won't really focus much on writing until that's done.


End file.
